SIMPLY RED: Grey Nomads are on the road and heading to warmer climates.senior

Travel

'Stralia's on the move in search of retirement Utopia

13th May 2018 5:00 AM
| Updated:
10:24 AM

ADDICTION. There are many forms of it, just as there are many types of Australian.

Retirees are addicted to travel. Right across the country, there is this migration of people travelling north.

Some are escaping the chills of the southern states while some are entering into the centre of Australia, not to escape the cold as it gets pretty chilly in the Outback, but to escape the enduring heat of the bush.

It is the start of the tourist season in outback Australia and the Grey Nomads are on the move.

There are literally hundreds of them and all of them are towing their aluminium homes behind them.

The roads are chock-a-block with different shapes and sizes crawling along the highways to the destinations of their dreams.

The Red Centre is a big attraction.

Just like ants to the honey jar, these snail-like motorised homes sneak up the highway, some only travelling a couple of hundred kilometres a day in their quest for retirement Utopia.

By mid-afternoon, you can see these gypsies all set up and sitting around in groups, sharing the stories of their respective journeys.

They give and seek advice on road conditions and the best places to stay.

But it is not just the Grey Nomads that clog the roads.

Oh no, there are bikes of different types, normal city-type vehicles and cycle riders all vying for the opportunity to see this great land of ours, this land we call "Stralia".

And what is even more astonishing is that they are all very tech-savvy.

There are very few who are not taking photos with their iPads and iPhones. Some travel with solar panels and a lot of their set-ups are very comfortable to say the least.

Some appear to have spent the crown jewels to kit themselves out.

And why not, as many are spending six months or more on the road and are travelling great distances. So a bit of comfort is much warranted.

Of course, cocktail hour is always important.

People sit around the fire - if you are in a van park that allows open fires because there are very few of these today.

They sit with their nibbles and a glass of wine or a beer, catching up with other caravaners about the day's travels. As many of them will tell you: "We are just living the dream."

I must admit that this type of travel, whether it be towing a caravan or camp trailer or as we do motelling, can become very addictive.

It is not about how you travel, it's all about the travel itself.

Getting out there on to the open road and on the Outback open road means exactly that, as the countryside is vast, open and flat for as far as the eye can see in all directions.

The other thing that we have realised is when people talk about the Red Centre, this is exactly what they mean. The country is red for as far as you can see. And it is arid.

In some areas it has not rained for years. It is very obvious and even the wildlife isn the move.